Copper is known to be one of the essential trace elements. An adequate supply of copper is necessary for normal animal health and growth.
Copper deficiencies are associated with anemia; poor animal growth; noticeably discolored hair; and, in the case of sheep, poor wool development because of loss of fiber strength and diameter. Copper is also known to have some important role in proper and healthy reproductive roles.
Proper uptake of copper in developing animals is also known as necessary for iron metabolism in red blood cell production, is also known as essential for proper bone development, and has been reported as necessary for adequate and proper development of an animal's immune system.
It can therefore be seen that proper dietary balance of highly bioavailable copper is important for animals, including swine and poultry. In recent times, it has been reported, particularly for swine and poultry, that they may have copper deficiencies because of the nature of their food rations. Put another way, it has been found that from time to time mycotoxins which are present in food rations, particularly corn, have a tendency to tie up the available copper in a form which makes it non-bioavailable. Thus, the net result is that the feed for the swine and the poultry, particularly corn treated with certain treatments such as Tyram.RTM., and mycotoxins that are found in the corn in some way bind the available copper in the feed to make it non-bioavailable. The net result is that even though one feeds to the animals much higher levels of copper than needed for the NRC (National Research Council) recommended daily allowances, the animal does not get anywhere near its adequate NRC requirement.
An additional problem is caused by feeding high levels of copper which are simply thereafter excreted without uptake. The copper in the excretement is returned to the soil, significantly raising the copper level. This may cause undesired environmental polluting problems.
It therefore can be seen that adequate dietary levels of highly bioavailable copper are necessary for development of livestock, including cattle, swine and poultry. Moreover, there is a need to present copper in a highly bioavailable form which assures that the animal will have a high level of uptake of the copper without excreting it to cause potential environmental pollution.
It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide a highly effective bioavailable form of copper in convenient water soluble salt form which is available for use as a feed additive in animal nutrition.
Another important objective of the present invention is the preparation of new, complex salts of copper in which the copper is in a form that can be readily absorbed after ingestion by livestock, particularly swine, poultry and cattle.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide stable complexed salts of copper which, because of the complexing of copper with certain alpha hydroxy organic acids are in a highly bioavailable form.
An even further objective of the present invention is to provide a method of nutritional supplementation for animals to assure adequate dietary requirements of copper for growth and health.
An even further objective of the present invention is to provide certain complex salts of copper and certain alpha hydroxy organic acids such as glucoheptonic acid which have coordination bonds formed between the copper ion and the alpha hydroxy group of the acid, in addition to an electrostatic attraction bond between the cation and the carboxyl ions.
The method of accomplishing these as well as other objectives of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows hereinafter.